Friday, April 28, 2017

ORC Industries Inc., Brownsville, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $20,492,889 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for wet weather ponchos. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 41 U.S. Code 3304(a)(5). This is a two-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Texas, with an April 28, 2019, performance completion date. Using customer is Afghanistan National Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-17-D-N012).

Propper International Inc., Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $13,914,654 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hot weather combat boots. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with an April 28, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Army and Afghanistan military. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2020 defense working capital; and foreign military sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-17-D-1059).

Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, Winston Salem, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $8,866,350 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for poncho liners. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 41 U.S. Code 3304(a)(5). This is a two-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is North Carolina, with an April 28, 2019, performance completion date. Using customer is Afghanistan National Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-17-D-B010).

The eCommerce Innovation Lab and the Commercial Service in Europe, in partnership with the Getting to Global public/private partnership and the Global Retail Insights Network (The GRIN Labs), have created this initial European-focused webinar to explore the EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy and what it means for U.S. retailers looking to acquire European customers.

Each of the three, 60-minute sessions will provide practical information to U.S. firms wanting to enter and engage with the European consumer market, selling products such as cosmetics, apparel, games, electronics, or online services.

In 2015, U.S. exports of digitally deliverable goods and services to Europe were more than double U.S. trade with Latin American and almost double U.S. trade with the entire Asia-Pacific Region. Meanwhile, European policymakers continue to promote the lowering of trade barriers between their countries and have been encouraging the free movement of goods and services.

Description: This recall involves two styles of FatFace women’s sweaters: overhead Cowes (style number 918043) and zip-up (style number 918041). The style numbers are printed on a care label on the inside seam of the sweaters.

The Overhead Cowes sweater is 97 percent cotton and 3 percent polyester sold in ivory. This sweater has a 3.5 inch cowl or funnel neckline that can be tightened or loosened by the drawstring located at the center front of the neckline. These sweaters also have a kangaroo-style pocket located at the bottom front of the sweater.

The zip-up sweater is 97 percent cotton and 3 percent polyester with a Yarmouth textured zip-up sweater. It sold in ivory, ocean surf (green) and lilac ice (lavender) colors. The sweater has a hood that can be tightened and loosened with a drawstring. The sweater has a silver metal zipper extending from the neckline to the bottom of the sweaters with two pockets on each side of the zipper.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of a burn injury.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled sweaters and contact the firm for instructions on returning the sweaters for a $75 refund.

Sold Exclusively At: FatFace stores in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and online at www.fatface.com from September 2016 through January 2017 for about $60.

Federal Prison Industries Inc., doing business as UNICOR, Washington, District of Columbia, has been awarded a maximum $18,194,250 modification (P00125) exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPM1C1-13-D-F502) with four one-year option periods for physical fitness uniform trunks. This is an indefinite-delivery contract. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $54,678,213 from $36,483,963. Locations of performance are Minnesota, Louisiana, Colorado and, the District of Columbia, with an April 30, 2018, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2018 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On December 19, 2016, PGTEX USA, Inc. (PGTEX) submitted a notification of proposed production activity to the FTZ Board for its facility within FTZ 68--Site 3, in El Paso, Texas.

The notification was processed in accordance with the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR part 400), including notice in the Federal Register inviting public comment (82 FR 1316-1317, January 5, 2017). The FTZ Board has determined that no further review of the activity is warranted at this time. The production activity described in the notification is authorized, subject to the FTZ Act and the FTZ Board's regulations, including Section 400.14, and further subject to a restriction requiring that foreign-status yarns (glass fiber) (HTSUS 7019.19), glass fibers (HTSUS 7019.90), and polyester yarn (HTSUS 5402.33) be admitted to the subzone in privileged foreign status (19 CFR 146.41).

The restriction that glass fibers and polyester yarn be admitted in "privileged foreign status" precludes inverted tariff benefits on such items on its domestic sales of fiber glass fabrics. Production under FTZ procedures will exempt PGTEX from customs duty payments on the foreign-status components used in export production. Customs duties also could possibly be deferred or reduced on foreign-status production equipment.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has published a notice in today’s Federal Register of its determination to approve a request to modify Annex 3.25 of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) to add certain woven modal-polyester printed fabric, as specified below, in unlimited quantities.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $8,286,377 firm-fixed-price contract for fire resistant environmental ensemble trousers. This contract is a one-year contract with two one-year option periods. This was a directed award under the Ability One program. Location of performance is Texas, with an April 16, 2018, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2018 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-17-D-B017).

Golden Manufacturing Co. Inc., Golden, Mississippi, has been awarded a maximum $58,525,830 modification (P00134) exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPM1C1-13-D-1047) with four one-year option periods for various types of coats. The modification brings the maximum dollar value of the contract to $105,029,845 from $46,504,015. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Mississippi and Georgia, with an April 17, 2018, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2018 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Following public comment periods in two separate cases, the Federal Trade Commission has approved final consent orders settling charges that iSpring Water Systems, LLC, a Georgia-based distributor of water filtration systems, and Block Division, Inc., a Texas-based distributor of pulley block systems, made misleading Made-in-the-USA claims.

First announced in February 2017, the FTC’s complaint against iSpring alleged that the company’s unqualified claims that its products are built in the United States deceived consumers. In many instances – despite iSpring’s false, misleading or unsupported claims – its products either are wholly imported or are made using a significant amount of inputs from overseas, according to the complaint.

First announced in March 2017, the FTC’s complaint against Block Division alleged that for a period of several years, the company’s pulleys featured imported steel plates that were stamped “Made in USA” before they entered the United States. The complaint also alleged that Block Division used unqualified “Made in USA” claims in advertising to represent that these pulley blocks, other products, and the parts used to make them, were all or virtually all made in the United States. In fact, the complaint states, the company’s products include significant imported parts that are essential to their function.

Monday, April 17, 2017

SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, LLC (SGLACF), operator of FTZ 203--Site 3, submitted a notification that proposes a revision to its existing production authority at its facility located in Moses Lake, Washington. The notification conforming to the requirements of the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR 400.22) was received on March 30, 2017.

SGLACF previously requested and received FTZ Board approval for authority to produce carbon fiber from foreign-status polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber for export only within Site 3 of FTZ 203 (see FTZ Board Order 1889, 78 FR 16247, 3/14/2013). Under that existing authority, SGLACF must export all carbon fiber made from foreign-status PAN fiber. In the current request, SGLACF proposes to replace the export-only limitation pertaining to carbon fiber produced from foreign-status PAN fiber with a requirement for the company to admit all foreign-status PAN fiber (duty rate 7.5%) in privileged foreign (PF) status (19 CFR 146.41).

SGLACF's notification indicates the following: Production under FTZ procedures with the proposed PF status requirement for admission of foreign-status PAN fiber could exempt the company from customs duty payments on foreign-status PAN fiber used in export production. For SGLACF's domestic sales of carbon fiber, PF status would not allow the company to elect the carbon fiber duty rate (free) on the value of foreign-status PAN fiber used to produce the carbon fiber, thereby precluding inverted tariff savings. In addition, at the time of customs entry for each shipment of carbon fiber to the U.S. market, the company would apply the PAN fiber duty rate (7.5%) on an estimated value of PAN fiber contained in scrap resulting from the production process (based on the actual percentage of scrap from the preceding year's production). SGLACF's scrap rate was about 1% in 2016. The company is seeking these changes to its FTZ authority for ``logistical
recordkeeping purposes.''

Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions shall be addressed to the FTZ Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing period for their receipt is May 30, 2017.

Friday, April 14, 2017

Today, Milliken & Company, a global innovation company with historic commitments to specialty textile, chemicals and floor covering, announced its acquisition of the assets of Keystone Aniline Corporation, a global leader in dyes, pigments, pigment dispersions and polymers. Positioning Milliken for global growth, the initiative aligns two key industry players with complementary product portfolios and expertise to offer customers a broader array of advanced colorant solutions, technologies and services.
Supporting their complementary product offerings are cultural parallels, including both being privately-held and family-owned, further aligning the acquisition strategically.

“Milliken and Keystone Aniline Corporation share a long history of innovation, environmentally responsible manufacturing and relationship building – core values which connect us in practice, perspective and approach to values-based business,” shared Milliken President, CEO and Chairman, J. Harold Chandler. “We look forward to welcoming Keystone to the Milliken family of companies and competing together as we leverage meaningful innovation and environmentally responsible manufacturing.”
Founded in 1920, Keystone is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and has operations in Europe and North America, including the company’s largest manufacturing facility in Inman, South Carolina.

“Milliken and Keystone each have individual expertise in chemical colorants; Milliken with unparalleled new molecule development, and Keystone with leading formulation capabilities,” shared David Moody, president of the global Milliken Chemical division. “I look forward to combining our shared resources for ground-breaking chemical innovations that will continue to serve our customers in significant and meaningful ways.”

“By combining our product portfolios and specialized colorant knowledge with Milliken’s solutions and expertise, we create business and market synergies that will drive new global opportunities and better meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said John Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Keystone. “The strengthened organization will possess greater breadth and depth across the board, from research and development to formulation capabilities, to quality control and product stewardship. This partnership will be a part of Milliken’s future growth and success.”
About Milliken Chemical - Milliken is an innovation company that has been exploring, discovering and creating ways serve customer needs since 1865. Working from our laboratories, application and development centers around the world, our scientists and engineers create coatings, specialty chemicals, and advanced additive and colorant technologies that transform the way we experience products from automotive plastics to children's art supplies. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines that also includes floor covering and performance materials, the people of Milliken work every day to add value, improve health and safety, and impact global sustainability. For more information, visit http://www.millikenchemical.com or http://www.milliken.com.

About Milliken - For 150 years, Milliken has been innovating with the purpose to explore, discover and create ways to enhance people’s lives. Our community of innovators has developed one of the larger collections of United States patents held by a private U.S. company. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines, including specialty chemical, floor covering and performance materials, we work around the world every day to add true value to people’s lives, improve health and safety, and help make this world more sustainable. For more information, visit http://www.milliken.com and join us on Twitter and Facebook.

About Keystone – Keystone Aniline Corporation was founded in Chicago, Ill. in 1920 to produce pigments and dyes. The company steadily expanded, both in geography and markets, establishing the first of several international locations in Huddersfield, England, in 1950. In the 1960s, Keystone broadened its portfolio into aqueous and solvent-based pigment dispersions at its Inman, S.C. facility. With a 35,000-square-foot expansion in 2016, the Inman operation became the largest analytical, production and warehousing facility within Keystone. Also that year, Keystone acquired Colour Synthesis Solutions, a UK provider of fine chemicals and custom chemistry services. Before being acquired by Milliken, the company offered specialized solutions including FDA-compliant dyes, biodegradable colorants, CleanGredients database listed products and sub-micron pigment dispersions, all of which are now part of the Milliken portfolio.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, will locate its first manufacturing and development center in the United States in Randolph County, creating 133 new jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in a facility located in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $4 million annually.

“North Carolina enjoys a worldwide reputation as a center for textile research and workers,” Governor Cooper said. “Our excellent business climate and location offer international firms an ideal place to reach and serve customers in the United States.”

MAS is an innovative textile company headquartered in Sri Lanka, employing more than 85,000 associates worldwide, operating 48 state-of-the-art facilities in 15 countries including design offices, apparel and component manufacturing plants and private industrial parks. MAS also provides technology solutions to the apparel and footwear industry. Recently, the company has been working to integrate technology into clothing, partnering with startup companies in the Silicon Valley region of California and in New York in the fields of wearable technology and health & wellness.

MAS Holdings’ selection of a North Carolina location includes a pending acquisition of Acme-McCrary, a 108-year-old textile manufacturer currently located in Asheboro with additional facilities in Chatham County and the Republic of Honduras. The company produces legwear and active wear for large U.S. retailers.

Mahesh Amalean, Chairman of MAS Holdings stated, “We are delighted to be associated with Acme-McCrary, whose values and philosophy are very much in alignment with MAS. Our presence in the Western Hemisphere enables us to strengthen our value propositions of speed and flexibility offered through on-shore and near-shore operations to our customers. It also enables us to engage and strengthen our continued association with academia and research institutions in the U.S. We are appreciative of the support and assistance extended to us by the State, County, City and its officials and look forward to integrating and contributing to the community in North Carolina.”

W.H. Redding Jr., Chairman of Acme-McCrary stated, “We are pleased to be a part of MAS Holdings’ location of a manufacturing facility in our hemisphere. MAS Holdings brings to North Carolina an exemplary corporate culture and a growing business. Their concern for environmental impact is world class and keeping and growing textile jobs in North Carolina is exciting.”

A performance-based grant of $575,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate MAS Holdings’ location into Randolph County. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to support local government efforts to attract economic investment and create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. In the case of MAS Holdings’ grant, in addition to its new job-creation target, the company is also required to retain 374 existing jobs currently located in North Carolina at Acme-McCrary. All One NC grants are also contingent upon a matching grant from local governments.

N.C. Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. led the state’s response to the company’s search for a business location.

Other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, North Carolina State University, Duke Energy, the City of Asheboro, Randolph County, and the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation.

On April 11, 2017, President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate key additions to his Administration, including Gilbert B. Kaplan to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. Mr. Kaplan is a partner at King & Spalding, in the International Trade Group. While at the firm, he filed and won the first ever successful United States anti-subsidy cases against China (on coated paper and standard pipe). He is the co-founder of the Manufacturing Policy Initiative at Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the first and only university program in the country focusing on what public policy actions should be taken to revitalize United States manufacturing. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and the First Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration, where he supervised over 500 trade remedy cases. He was a key negotiator of the United States-Japan Semiconductor Agreement. Previously, he was the Director of the Office of Investigations at the Department of Commerce, in charge of day-to-day trade remedy law administration. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

The New England Section of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists will meet Thursday, April 27, 2017. Mr. Michael Woody of Trans-Tex, Inc. will present "An Introduction to the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network."

Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind Inc., Winston Salem, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $10,387,080 firm-fixed-price contract for fire resistant environmental ensemble parkas. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year option periods. This was a directed award to the awardee under the Ability One program. Location of performance is North Carolina, with an April 11, 2018, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2018 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-17-D-B016).

Under the new process, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) was tasked with coordinating interagency input for the Administration and with providing a report to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, as well as the USITC, on each of two determinations for each product under review:

1. Does domestic production of the product subject to petition for duty suspension or reduction exist?

2. Does a domestic producer of the product object to the petition for the duty suspension or reduction?

The definitions used for “domestic production” and “domestic producer” are set out in the MTB legislation.

“Domestic production” is the production of a product that is identical to, or like or directly competitive with, a product to which a petition for a duty suspension or reduction would apply, for which a domestic producer has demonstrated production, or imminent production, in the United States.

“Domestic producer” is a person that demonstrates production, or imminent production, in the United States of a product that is identical to, or like or directly competitive with, a product to which a petition for a duty suspension or reduction would apply.

Commerce’s Administration Report also includes input from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other relevant Federal agencies, including any technical changes to the product’s article description (as the product is described in the tariff schedule) for each petition that are necessary for purposes of administration when products are presented for importation. Commerce is expected to deliver the report containing its findings for each petition to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, as well as the USITC, in mid-April 2017.

Commerce’s task as set out in the legislation is consistent with the Department’s previous role in the MTB process, wherein for more than 20 years Commerce has been responsible for investigating whether there is domestic production of products proposed for an MTB, in order to prevent domestic manufacturers from being inadvertently injured by the tariff cuts.

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